There are high hopes for the LSU Tigers in 2013-14. Head coach Johnny Jones’ team may not be discussed in the same realm as Kentucky or Florida when it comes to competing for an SEC title, the Tigers certainly don’t lack for talent. With forward Johnny O’Bryant deciding to return for his junior season and talented newcomers such as Jarell Martin, Jordan Mickey and Tim Quarterman joining the program, LSU has the talent needed to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009.

Can LSU turn back the clock to a time when they were consistently a factor within the SEC? That’s the hope, with Coach Jones’ entrance at the team’s “Bayou Madness” event influenced by the movie “Back to the Future”. Coach Jones arrived at the PMAC in a Delorean, and after exiting the vehicle opened up his lab coat to reveal an “old school” LSU jersey (Jones played at the school from 1981-84).

The original “Back to the Future” was released in July 1985, just months before the start of what would turn into a special season for LSU basketball. That team became the first 11-seed to reach the Final Four, beating Purdue, Memphis, Georgia Tech and Kentucky before falling to eventual national champion Louisville in the national semis.

LSU opens regular season play on November 12 at UMass in what should be a challenging contest, with dynamic point guard Chaz Williams leading the way for the Minutemen.